But the framework wasn’t just a checklist. Kantara also built an . An independent, third-party auditor would come to your organization—whether you were Google, a tiny credit union, or a provincial health authority—and examine your identity proofing, your data security, your privacy policies, your breach notification procedures. If you passed, you earned the right to call yourself a Kantara-Approved Trust Framework Provider .
The Kantara Initiative is an international consortium focused on improving trust in identity and personal data through standards development and conformity assessments. The organization provides third-party certification for identity products, including NIST 800-63-3 and UK DIATF standards, while hosting work groups for technologies like User-Managed Access (UMA). Learn more at kantarainitiative.org . kantarainitiative.org
The Kantara Initiative is a global, community-driven organization focused on developing standards, trust frameworks, and certification programs for digital identity, privacy, and consent. By fostering collaboration on initiatives like User-Managed Access (UMA) and Consent Receipts, the organization aims to advance secure, interoperable, and user-centric digital identity management. For more information, visit Kantara Initiative. But the framework wasn’t just a checklist
The flagship contribution of the Kantara Initiative is the Identity Assurance Framework (IAF). This comprehensive set of requirements provides a rigorous standard for organizations that issue and verify digital identities. The IAF assesses identity solutions based on three critical dimensions: If you passed, you earned the right to
For a while, Apple, Google, and Microsoft showed interest. But they ultimately pursued their own agendas. They wanted interoperability on their terms . Kantara remained a neutral arbiter, but neutrality is expensive. Funding came from membership dues and government grants, a constant, anxious juggling act.